


The Miraculous Tales of Beetlebug and Chat Noire

by closeted_demon (orphan_account)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Character Swap, F/F, F/M, Kwami Swap, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2020-10-14 02:35:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20593265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/closeted_demon
Summary: NO LONGER UPDATINGThis is the show Miraculous Ladybug, but if the kwami's and roles were swapped!Marinette is the daughter of the famous fashion designer Sabine Cheng, who is still mourning the disappearance of her husband Tom Dupain.Adrien is the son of two bakers, Emilie and Gabriel Agreste.Adrien is gifted the power of the ladybug, while Marinette is gifted the power of the black cat.Will they be able to stop Monarch's evil reign across Paris?





	1. Prologue

Marinette sat at the long-empty dining table while poking her food. The only noise was the sound of the distant grandfather clock going _ tick tick tick _ and Marinette was about to lose it. How many times had she sat alone at that table, with no company? She looked up at the large portrait commissioned by her family. She was in the middle, a bright smile on her face. To the right was her mother, who had her arm wrapped around Marinette's arm with a soft, loving smile on her face. And then to her left, there was…

_ Papa. _

He stood taller than both the girls, with his broad shoulders cut off by the frame. His hand rested on Marinette’s shoulder and he had the biggest, proudest grin a dad could have. Marinette’s heart twisted as she remembered the night he had disappeared.

Marinette had always been sheltered, with her parents only allowing her to have one friend, and she was always homeschooled. However, after that night, her mother became even more strict, rarely letting Marinette leave the house, always being accompanied by her mother’s assistant and bodyguard. A ding threw her out of her thoughts, and Marinette picked up her phone to read the message.

_Chloe:_ Good morning Maridoll! First day of senior year! Will I see you there?? Xoxo

Marinette smiled at her good friend. Chloe’s mother was the mayor of Paris, and her father was a popular fashion designer in NYC. Their parents had been friends for years, which is why the Dupain-Cheng’s trusted the Bourgeois.

_Marinette:_ I haven’t heard anything back from mother...I’m scared it’ll be a no :( I’ll keep you updated though.

Putting down her phone, Marinette started biting her lip in anticipation. This was Marinette’s last chance to go to a real school and make real friends, before being trained to be the heir to her mother’s business. As if on cue, Nadja Chamack, her mother’s assistant, walked into the room. Marinette practically jumped out of her chair.

“Nadja! Has my mother answered you about school?” 

“About that Marinette..” said Nadja, refusing to make eye contact “your mother finds it best that you continue to be homeschooled for your last year of high school.”

Marinette felt her heart shatter. Of course her mother said no...when had she ever let Marinette do something  _ she  _ wanted? She clutched her phone to her chest.

“Oh..okay. Thank you Nadja” said Marinette as she walked past her “I guess I should go practice my piano..”

Nadja looked at the girl heading to her room and let out a deep sigh. She had practically watched Marinette grow up, and she knew she was itching for an adventure. She considered going up to comfort the girl, but decided against it and simply went about her business.

Marinette, on the other hand, looked at the watch on her hand.  _ 6:45. _

“I have exactly an hour and fifteen minutes,” she said to herself as she closed the door. She texted Chloe back.

_Marinette:_ It was a no...but that’s not gonna stop me >:) give me the directions to the school?

_Chloe:_ OMG YOU WOULDN’T :0 you fail to amaze me, Marinette!

Marinette smiled to herself as she packed up her backpack.

She was tired of taking no for an answer.

_ Marinette was gonna sneak out. _


	2. Origins- Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First part of Origins ~ enjoy!

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Adrien woke up to the sound of his alarm blaring. He tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes as he groaned and threw his covers over his head, desperately trying to ignore the sound. It took him a moment before he remembered why his alarm was going off at 7:00 am.

_The first day of senior year._

Adrien shot out of bed and immediately tripped on his covers and landed on the floor with a thud. Good start to the day, he thought, slowly getting up and heading to his closet. He decided on his favorite outfit combo- a black graphic tee and jeans. After grabbing his pre-packed backpack, Adrien threw open the trapdoor in his room and rushed down the stairs.

"Good morning Adrien." hummed his mother, Emilie. Her curled blonde hair fell elegantly over her shoulder, and she sipped her morning coffee out of her '24/7 kind of mom' mug. Adrien went up to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good morning mama!" said Adrien. He grabbed himself an apple in the fruit bowl, "Where's father?"

"Downstairs making macarons for your class," said Emilie with a wink "he knows how much your classmates love our pastries!" Adrien grinned.

"Yeah, at this point it's practically a first-day tradition!" Emilie stood up and gave him a hug.

"Now head along- you don't want to be late for school!" She said, softly pushing him out the door and waving goodbye as Adrien headed down the stairs into the bakery. The sweet scent of freshly baked cookies hit him, and his mouth started watering. He saw his father behind the counter, talking to their family friend Nathalie and her daughter Acadia.

"Good morning father! Hello Nathalie!" Said Adrien, walking up to them. Gabriel turned to him and beamed.

"Adrien! What perfect timing!" he said, giving him a big hug "did you sleep well? Here-" Gabriel handed him a to-go tray full of macarons "some treats for your class!"

"Thank you!" Said Adrien. Nathalie came up to him and pinched his cheeks, with her daughter Acadia happily munching on a cookie.

"Look at you!" Said Nathalie, "a senior already! It seems like just yesterday you were Acadia's age! Now, you're an impeccable young man!" his cheeks turned red. His parents had been friends with Nathalie for years now, and she would often come over and babysit Adrien on his parents’ date nights. Now, Adrien often babysits Acadia while Nathalie is at work.

"Thanks, Nathalie!" He said, heading towards the door, "I should head out so I'm not late. Have a good day!" He waved goodbye as he exited the shop. Thankfully the school was right across the street, but he had to wait for the cross-light to change. While waiting, he noticed an old man with a cane crossing the road. He saw cars in the distance that didn't look to be slowing down, and Adrien knew someone had to act. He approached the old man and quickly led him to the side of the road as a car barreled by. The momentum caused Adrien to trip, and he dropped the macaroons. Thankfully, none of them spilled out, but they did get mixed around.

"Oh dear," said the old man, looking down concerned, "your pastries are ruined!" Adrien quickly got up and picked up the box.

"No worries sir, they're totally fine, see?" He opened the box," just a little shaken up. Want one? And are you alright?" The man beamed at him.

"I am fine, thank you, young man," he said, taking a macaroon. The crosswalk light turned green.

"Ah, I gotta go! Have a nice day!" Said Adrien, running towards the school. The man smiled at him, then continued walking without his cane. Adrien rushed up the stairs of the school just as a long grey car pulled up next to the school. A stern woman with short pink hair stepped out, just as a teenager approached the steps.

"Marinette, get in the car," said Nadja "You know your mother doesn't want you-"

"But what about what I want?" Retaliated Marinette, turning to face her "it's always about what mother wants. Just let me do this one thing for me!" She turned back around to walk up the steps when she heard a groan. Looking over, she saw an old man on the ground struggling to get his cane. Marinette hesitated, then jumped down to help him. She picked up his cane and gave him a hand up, smiling.

“Thank you, young lady," said the old man, taking his cane and smiling at her. Marinette turned around and immediately slammed into her uncle, also her bodyguard, Wang Cheng. He put a firm hand on her shoulder, leading her to the car. Marinette sighed and texted Chloe.

_Marinette:_ Sorry, I didn't make it on time...

Adrien walked into the classroom to see everyone still talking in their specific friend groups from last year. "Good morning Adrien!" said Juleka, coming up to him, "how was your summer?"

"It was good! Want a macaroon?" He asked, placing the tray on the teacher's desk. She gasped.

"Of course!" She grabbed one and then turned to the class "hey everyone! Macaroons from the Agreste bakery!" Adrien stepped out of the way as his classmates crowded around the desk, buzzing with excitement. He walked towards his seat, but stopped when he saw it was occupied. Sitting there, looking nervously on her phone, was Chloe Bourgeois.

"Hey, Chloe.." said Adrien cautiously. If she was here, there was no doubt the witch would be around soon. She jumped at his voice, almost dropping her phone.

"Oh, Adrien!" She said. "Hi..um.. how was your summer?"

"Good good," he said "can I ask why you're in my seat?"

“Oh!” she said skittishly, avoiding eye contact “w-well, I was sitting here because my friend was going to be at school for the first time! A-and she deserves the best seat in the front, and since she’s my bestie Sabrina said we should sit behind her, but turns out she’s not coming!” she slowly starts getting up “so you can have your seat ba-” a hand slamming on the table makes them both jump, and they turn to see Sabrina, looking rather pissed off.

“Is there a problem here?” she snarled. Adrien crossed his arms.

“There is, miss _Scorpion_,” he hissed, using the nickname he had come up for his arch-nemesis, “Chloe is in my seat, and I was asking her to move.”

“Excuse me?” huffed Sabrina, “this isn’t grade school. There aren’t any assigned seats.”

“But that’s the seat I’ve sat in since grade school!” shot back Adrien “everyone knows that unspoken rule.”

“I-its okay, Sabrina,” said Chloe, waving her hands, “Marinette isn’t coming, so we can move-”

“Shut UP Chloe,” said Sabrina, giving her a look “this is more than your girl crush, this is about principle! Don’t be so spineless,” Chloe turned red and looked down. This made Adrien even more enraged. But before he could speak, a voice cut in.

“Hey dude, not cool to talk to them that way,” they all turned to see a tall dark-skinned boy with his hands on his hips, looking rather annoyed.

“Look here,” Sabrina waved a finger at him “new kid is gonna try and save the day,” she laughed an evil belly laugh.

“Jeez,” said the boy, crossing his arms “I’d like to see things from your point of view, but I can’t seem to get my head that far up your ass.” This made Sabrina turn beet red, and Adrien could almost imagine steam coming out of her ears. The new boy simply smiled and put his arm around Adrien “come on dude,” he said “you can sit with me,” and with that, they moved to the front row. Adrien looked at the boy with awe.

“Man, I wish I could be as chill as you!” said Adrien “I always get so angry around her that I just fumble over my words,” the new kid laughed and leaned back in his seat.

“Well, from what I’ve seen that’s an acceptable reaction to her. I’ve dealt with my fair share of jerks at my old school, so I’ve become a pro” he held out his hand for Adrien to shake “the name’s Nino.”

“Adrien,” said Adrien, shaking Nino’s hand. He had a feeling that Nino would be a good friend “Did you try a macaroon?”

Back at the Agreste manor, Sabine stood at the top of the steps looking down at her daughter, who was burning a hole into the floor. Nadja and Wang were on each side of her, unemotional and unmoving. Sabine let out a deep sigh.

“Really, Marinette. Trying to sneak out? I thought I raised you better. What has gotten into you?” Marinette’s head snapped up to look at her mother, hurt on her face.

“You know what, mother! I want nothing more than to go to school like everyone else. Why can’t you just understand?” Marinette started shaking with anxiety. She never talked back to her mother, but she just couldn’t stay quiet anymore.

“I do understand, Marinette” sighed Sabine “I know how hard it is for you to stay here all day. But it is for your own safety-”

“Screw that!” said Marinette, tears welling up. "My safety doesn't matter!" Sabine was taken aback.

“Marinette-”

“Papa would let me go to school..” she said, almost too quiet for Sabine to hear. But she did hear, and it shook her to her core.

“_Enough_, Marinette!” snapped Sabine, “I said no, and that is final. Now go to your room and practice your piano. Be lucky I don’t ground you for pulling a stunt like that.” Marinette’s face had a look of shock, which quickly turned to anger. She stormed past her mother, and all three adults heard her bedroom door slam. Sabine let out a big sigh and started rubbing her forehead. “One day she’ll understand…” she said. Nadja stepped towards her.

“Ma’am, if I may speak freely-”

“Nadja,” said Sabine, giving her a soft smile “you know you don’t have to call me ma’am. Sabine is fine,” Nadja’s cheeks turned pink.

“Oh yes, well...Sabine, Marinette is almost 18. When that happens, you know she will leave as soon as she can. Don’t you think it would be good for her to get a taste of the real world before she’s on her own?” Sabine looked nervous and started fiddling with her wedding ring.

“I know you’re right, but she’s all I have left. I can’t..I can’t lose her too..” Nadja walked to the top of the stairs and put her hand on Sabine’s arm.

“I know,” she said, “but you know Tom would want her to be prepared before becoming an adult,” Sabine chuckled.

“I remember the first time Marinette went swimming,” said Sabine, tenderly touching the flower in her hair, “Tom put her in so many floaties, she looked like a marshmallow,” Nadia smiled, and Sabine let out a nervous sigh “You’re right. I’ll get in contact with the school and notify them. Marinette will start tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Sabine,” said Nadja with a big smile, “I’ll let Marinette know tonight.”

The bell rang to signal the class was over. Miss Mendeleiv started making her usual leaving remarks.

“Alright everyone,” she said with a small smile, “in case you all are a little rusty, your next class will either be gym or sci-”

“Shut up!” everyone jumped at the sudden outburst and turned to see Mylene holding Max by his collar. Adrien shivered. Man, if looks could kill.

“Mylene!” exclaimed Miss Mendeleiv, “stop that behavior at once! Go to the principal's office!” Mylene looked at her teacher, a dumbfounded look on her face.

“What? But he-”

“Now!”

Mylene snarled and pushed Max back into his seat, and stormed out of the room. Kim was fretting over his friend, but Max simply looked amused. _Great start to the year_, thought Adrien.

Meanwhile, a large window opens to reveal a woman. She is standing in the center, her only company the multitude of white butterflies.

“High school bullies are so cruel,” she sighed as a butterfly landed in the palm of her hand, “it is the perfect recipe for chaos” she cupped the butterfly in her hands, filling it with dark energy. It emerged black, and the center of the large window opened “find this poor soul my little akuma, and curse her heart!”

Miss Bustier was sitting at her desk writing in her notebook when Mylene burst open the door.

“Excuse me young lady,” she said in a soft yet firm tone, “hasn’t anyone taught you manners? Go back outside and knock,” Mylene huffed and slammed the door, once again back in the lone hallway. She took a deep breath and raised her fist up to the door just as a black butterfly infected the friendship bracelet she was holding. Her eyes glowed a neon purple, and a butterfly shape appeared in front of her face.

“Hello Chevron, my name is Monarch. I will give you the power to take revenge on those who have wronged you,” Mylene smiled, as purple goop surrounded her.

Miss Bustier was sitting at her desk when her door flew off its hinges. She screamed as a large creature entered. The creature, Chevron, was large and grey, with two string bracelets crossing over her chest, as well as a multitude of bracelets on her wrists. Chevron roared loudly and pointed her finger at Miss Bustier. A white beam hit the petrified principle, turning her into a copy of the monster-only this time completely covered in string. With that, Chevron roared and burst a hole through the wall, scouring the city for Max.

Adrien entered his room and put his bag down on his floor, tiredly plopping into his chair. A lot had happened today at school, and he was just happy to make a new friend who could stand up to Sabrina.

Out of nowhere, he heard his mother scream, and quickly went down the stairs into the living room. His parents were watching the news, hugging each other. It showed Nathalie discussing that there was a large monster causing damage and turmoil in the city. His father turned to him and ushered him up the stairs.

"Stay in your room, Adrien," he said, "we don't know what will happen next, and we want you to be safe," Adrien nodded and entered his room. After shutting the door, he stopped. There was a strange black jewelry box on his desk. Huh, he thought when did this get here? He opened it up and immediately dropped it as a bright red light shot out of the ring contained in the box. In front of him was a small, red and black creature.

"Hello, Adrien!' Said the creature in a high pitched voice "My name is Tikki."

Tikki thought that out of all her previous chosens, this one had the best reaction. After introducing herself, Adrien simply stared at her in awe.

"What...are you?" He asked, picking up the box he had dropped.

"I am a kwami," Tikki explained, "I can give you the power of good luck, and with it, the ability to fight off supervillains!" Adrien looked at his window.

"Supervillains...you mean like the monster that's raging rampant outside?" Tikki nodded.

"When you put on the ring, simply say 'spots on' and you will be transformed into a ladybug themed superhero! You will fight alongside your partner, the wearer of the black cat miraculous," Adrien smiled wide as he put the ring on his finger.

"Wow, an actual pair of superheroes? You mean like batman and superman?" Adrien starting throwing some fake punches, then looked at the kwami, "anything else I should know?"

"Yes- you have a special ability called 'lucky charm' that will give you an object that will help defeat the villain! But be careful, because after you activate your power, you'll only have 5 minutes left before you transform back!" Adrien nodded.

"Okay!" He said, striking a confident pose, "I think I'm ready."

"Tikki, spots on!"

Marinette had seen her fair share of weird, but this took the cake.

She was in her bed reading in an attempt to calm down until she heard her phone buzz. Realizing she left it on her table, she put her book down and climbed down the ladder. She picked up her phone before realizing that there was a black jewelry box she had not seen before._ I wonder if this is mother's way of saying sorry_..she thought, before dismissing the idea. Upon opening it, a bright green light burst from it, and she dropped it, quickly backing up. In front of her was a small black creature resembling a cat. When it opened its green eyes, she screamed and hid behind her couch.

"Calm down, blue eyes," it said. Marinette simply raised her head so she could see the creature.

"Wh-who are you?" She asked, "What do you want?" The little creature ignored her question and started exploring the room.

"Don't suppose you got any cheese?" He asked, tossing the pillows off her bed.

"Hey!' Said Marinette, quickly getting up "put those back!" the creature ignored her and moved on to the next cool thing- her bookcase. Marinette simply watched in horror as her neatly organized collection got destroyed. She tried yelling at him to stop, but it fell upon deaf ears. He made the mistake of landing on her carpet, as she swiftly placed a glass cup over him, trapping him.

"Now stop destroying my things and answer my questions," she huffed, "Who are you?"

"The name's Plagg," he said, winking "I'm a kwami."

"Kwa..mi?" Asked Marinette.

"Basically if you put on the earrings and say 'claws out', you'll turn into a cat-themed superhero." Marinette simply blinked, as if trying to comprehend the situation she was in. She looked over at the box she had dropped, and noticed the white earrings.

"But why me?" She asked, turning her attention back to the kwami, "and why the need for a superhero?"

"The guardian must have found you to be fit to wield me. As for why you're needed.." he phased out of the cup and went over to her TV, turning it on.

"You could get out the whole ti-" Marinette stopped short and felt a chill go through her as she watched the giant monster on the news. Plagg simply turned to her.

"You will fight alongside your partner, who holds the ladybug miraculous. Paris needs you Marinette," she sat there watching the monster on its rampage "do you accept?"

She nodded determinedly. "Okay," she said, standing up.

"Plagg, claws out!"


	3. Origins- Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Origins part 2

Once transformed, Adrien looked at himself in his big mirror. He was in a black and red suit peppered with black spots, with a mask covering his eyes. His usual bed-head hair was pulled back by a red ribbon, and he stared at himself mystified. He then noticed the weapon around his waist. He picked up the round object and started playing with it, concluding that it was a yo-yo.

_Seriously?_ He thought, _How am I going to fight villains with this?_

He sighed, and then pushed open the skylight and walked to the edge of his balcony.

_Use the yo-yo to swing across the city!_

Adrien was surprised by the little voice in his head, but he figured it must have been Tikki. She was probably helping him out since it was his first transformation. He grabbed the yo-yo resting on his hip and threw it, the end wrapping around a chimney. He made the fatal mistake of tugging on the string, as it yanked him from the balcony.

Adrien had never been afraid of heights. He rather loved looking across the city from his balcony.

However, flying through the air was a _whole_ different story.

Adrien screamed as he landed face-first into the chimney. He was surprised that his nose wasn’t broken, only being slightly disoriented. He pulled back, steadying himself. He let out a huff of determination, and threw his yo-yo towards a different building. This time, as he pulled, he jumped off. His landing was still rather rough, with him stumbling, but he had to admit it was kind of fun. Slowly, he got more comfortable with it, enjoying the raw power he felt while swinging through the air. He felt like spiderman, swinging from building to building! However, he got a little too comfortable and flew through the air a lot faster than he thought. He didn’t have time to throw his yo-yo at another hold to catch himself, and he saw himself flying right towards a girl wearing black.

_Oh boy, he thought._

⁎⁎⁎

Marinette stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black suit with blue accents, and even a little bow around her neck. Her normally sleek pulled back hair was down, and a little ruffled. She took a few minutes just admiring how cool she looked, and then figured she better head into action. Opening one of her window panels, she nervously looked down. She then grabbed the baton strapped to her back and took a deep breath.

_ You can do this, Marinette. Your mother made you do pole vaulting- it’s just like that_. She extended the baton to the ground and jumped- using her momentum to launch herself across the gap. She landed rather gracefully on top of the next building. Heart pounding, she smiled.

Oh _hell_ yes.

She noticed the next building wasn’t too far away from the one she was currently standing on. She took a couple steps back, and then sprinted towards the gap. She jumped across it with ease, and found that she didn’t want to stop. She laughed as she jumped and vaulted across the buildings. She didn’t remember the last time she had felt so free.

She stopped on a building that overlooked the Eiffel Tower. It was a lot different seeing it so far up, and she could see everything surrounding it. While taking in the view, she didn’t even hear the faint scream.

And then she felt a jolt of pain.

Something hit her in the back, pushing her down on the roof. She turned to face it, in attack mode, but stopped when she saw his eyes.

Oh, his _eyes_.

They looked down at her, worrying behind a red and black mask. She didn’t even comprehend the awkwardness of the situation, simply taking in his features. His face flushed as he quickly got off her.

“I-I am so sorry!” he said, lending out a hand to help her up, “I guess I’m still getting used to this whole superhero thing…”

She smirked and gladly took it. He helped her to her feet with relative ease.

“It’s alright, spots,” said Marinette, “So I assume you’re my partner?”

“Guess so,” said the boy sheepishly, “but I don’t feel like I’m cut out for the job.”

“It’s your first day and you already swept me off my feet,” said Marinette, winking “you’re doing great.”

She wasn’t sure where this new surge of confidence came from, but she decided to roll with it. Maybe it was the mask- no one knew she was the daughter of the influential Sabine Cheng, so she could act how she wanted.

"What's your name?" She asked the blonde.

"Ad-uh...Beetlebug!" He said "yeah, Beetlebug sounds good. And how about you?"

"Chat Noire," said Marinette, "a pleasure to meet you."

They both jumped when they heard a roar, and looked over to see the monster. Police and swat cars surrounded it, shooting at it. But with every bullet, the creature only gained more and more string armor. Eventually, getting fed up, it roared and shot a white beam across the defense- turning the people and cars into string. Roaring, she turned and started leaping across the city.

"So what do we do against that...thing?" Asked Chat. Beetlebug looked down, thinking.

"It's called an….aku-ma?" He said, "we need to find its possessed object and then break it. I'll take a wild guess and say it's in one of those bracelets." Chat nodded and prepared herself to jump off the building.

"Ready to go?" She asked, flashing him a smile. He nodded, and the two jumped off, heading towards Chevron.

⁎⁎⁎

Part of the class was at the football stadium. Françoise Dupont High School didn't have a gym, so they were shuttled to the stadium for gym class. Max rather enjoyed it, as he could practice his sprinting on the long field.

"Don’t you think you were a little harsh on Mylene?" Asked Kim, watching him stretch. Max laughed.

"Please, it was just a joke. Besides, it's not like-" he was cut off as the ground shook violently.

"Woah!" Said Max, "Think it's an earthquake?" Kim simply looked at him, unimpressed.

"..Doubtful, Max," he said flatly. Out of nowhere, a huge creature burst through the stadium, and everyone screamed. The monster seemed to lock eyes with Max, and dove for the boy, picking him up.

"Let me go!" He yelled, but the more he tried struggling the tighter the monsters grip got. Eventually, Max passed out.

"Stop right there!"

The remaining students peeked out of their hiding spots to find the source of the voice. There, on top of the stadium- were two people- a girl and a boy, both dressed in superhero costumes. The monster charged at them.

"What are you doing?" Hissed Beetlebug at his partner. She drew out her baton.

"Getting its attention away from the civilians!" She jumped off the ledge towards the incoming creature and kicked it in the middle of its face. The impact was enough that the creature fell back, fists opening. Max limply fell out of one, while a bracelet appeared to be in another. The Akuma quickly regained its balance, and stood back up, hand clenching around the bracelet.

"Did you see that?" Asked Chat, jumping back next to her partner, but there was no response. She looked over to see him just standing there, paralyzed.

"Beetlebug!" Said Chat, "it'll be alright!" She took his hand, seemingly breaking him out of his trance. He looked down at the hand and then back at her, "We can do this together!"

Ignoring the thunderous roar in his ears, Beetlebug nodded, a steely determination crossing his eyes.

"Okay. Together!" They both jumped off the building, and clotheslined the Akuma. It didn't do much to phase it though, as it quickly recovered and started barreling at them, sporadically throwing white beams in their direction.

"Don't get hit!" Called Beetlebug to the civilians, leaping out of the way of a beam. The two teens continued to attack the Akuma, but with every hit, it simply grew another armor of string bracelets.

"This isn't working!" Said Chat, ducking out of the Akamas sight, Beetlebug right behind her.

"Guess it's time to use my ability," He said. Chat looked baffled.

“Wait, we get a special ability?” she asked. Beetlebug looked at her confused.

“Didn’t your kwami explain this to you?” he asked, and she only shrugged.

“Anyways,” he continued, "Lucky charm!" he threw his yo-yo in the air, and down came an...un-inflated beach ball?

"I doubt the monster wants to play beach time with us," said Chat, looking warily at the item. Beetlebug looked around, and certain things stood out in red and black spots- the Akuma's fist, the beach ball, the firehose, and the boy standing right next to it. "I have an idea," he said, and quickly started explaining it to Chat.

"Hey ugly!" Yelled Chat from on top of the building, "catch this!" She jumped at the Akuma, getting caught in one of its’ fists. Then Beetlebug repeated the action, jumping towards the Akuma with the beach ball in hand. The Akuma, surprised at the sudden attack, grabbed Beetlebug with its other hand.

"Reporter boy!' Yelled Beetlebug to a student who was recording, who he recognized as his new friend Nino, "turn the water pressure on, now!" Nino quickly did what he was told, and the beach ball filled up with water, forcing the Akuma's hand open. Beetlebug dropped to the ground, the bracelet right next to him, and he quickly stomped on the item. A black butterfly flew out of it, and he heard his kwami inside his head.

_Use the miraculous cure!_

Adrien threw the beach ball into the air, yelling, “Miraculous Beetlebug!” as he did. A swarm of Ladybugs spread over the city, and the physical damage to the stadium disappeared. The Akuma became covered in black goop, eventually turning into his classmate Mylene.

“Great work,” said Chat Noire, holding out her fist. Beetlebug smiled and fist-bumped her. He then heard his earrings beep.

“I don’t have long until I change back,” he said, nervously looking around “but I want to check on the students..” Chat Noire put a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry Bug-a-boy, I’ve got damage control,” she said, winking. He sighed in relief and then swung out of there back towards his home.

⁎⁎⁎

As Beetlebug touched down on his balcony, the transformation let out and Tikki flew out of his ring. Adrien caught her in his hands.

“Fantastic job, Adrien!” she praised with a tired smile.

“Thanks, Tikki!” Said Adrien, opening his sky-light and sliding down his ladder into his bedroom, “I was super nervous at first, but Chat Noire helped me calm down!” he noticed the little kwami was quiet in his palm. “Are you alright, Tikki?”

“Us kwami’s need to recharge after transforming to get our energy back up. You don’t happen to have any chocolate chip cookies, would you?” Adrien smiled.

“Lucky for you, I’m the son of two bakers,” he said, placing the tired kwami onto his shoulder, “I have all the sweet treats you could ever dream of!” her big blue eyes lit up at the thought, and Adrien headed down into the kitchen.

Thankfully, both his parents were busy in the bakery, so he had the entire downstairs to himself. Looking in the pantry, he saw a whole plate of chocolate chip cookies and took them out. Tikki fluttered down to them as Adrien plopped down on the couch. Grabbing the remote, he turned on the tv, and froze at the image.

“-although the menace known as Chevron has been defeated and all the physical damage seemed to have been fixed, the string copies of the monster remain frozen, littered throughout Paris. Civilians are advised to stay away, as authorities are not sure of what will happen next,” Tikki had come over and nuzzled into Adrien’s hair, still munching on a cookie.

“Why, Tikki?” asked Adrien, his body going cold, “I thought the miraculous cure fixed everything!” Adrien felt a small buzzing on his head as Tikki took a second to think about her answer.

“...It should have” she said, “unless you forgot to purify the Akuma.”

“P-purify?” sputtered Adrien, jolting up and flinging Tikki from her resting place. She wolfed down the rest of the cookie and went up to Adrien's face, resting her tiny nubs on his face.

“Don’t worry about it, Adrien!” she said, trying to soothe the boy “It was my fault for forgetting to tell you. All you have to do is wait for the Akuma to show itself again, and then you can capture it within your yoyo!” Adrien looked at the small kwami.

“I’m the worst Beetlebug ever, huh?” he asked. He held up his hands and Tikki sat down in them.

“Oh Adrien, don’t say those things!” she said, “all Beetlebug’s deal with struggles. It was your first time as a superhero, and you were thrust into it with no training or anticipation,” Adrien took a shaky breath.

“So..just wait until the Akuma shows back up?” he asked. Tikki nodded.

“That shouldn’t be too hard, as akumas feed off negative energy” she explained, “that girl who was akumatized will most likely get upset again, so the Akuma will go back and target her. It is then that you can swoop in and capture the Akuma!”

“I don’t know, Tikki. I’m not brave enough for this. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything if Chat Noire hadn’t been there to snap me out of it...”

“Being a hero takes time, Adrien,” said Tikki, smiling. “The guardian saw potential in you, so I have no doubt that you will flourish as an amazing Beetlebug! Have faith in yourself,” Adrien went to say something, but Tikki held a nub up to his mouth. “Now, stop worrying about it. You did an amazing job and deserve rest! You have a fun day at school tomorrow,” Adrien nodded, looking at the clock. It was only 17:32, but Adrien couldn’t deny how his muscles ached. If he was going to keep up this superhero stuff, he should start getting into shape.

“You’re right, Tikki. Let's go relax for the rest of the evening,” he said. Tikki smiled and flew up to lay on her chosens head.

_This is gonna be a good one_, she thought to herself.

⁎⁎⁎

As soon as Marinette jumped into her room, her transformation let out. The little black kwami immediately flew into the couch, sprawling out.

“Plagg,” said Marinette, walking up to him, “why didn’t you tell me I had magic powers? I looked like a fool in front of Beetlebug!” Plagg didn’t move.

“Cheese,” said the little kwami.

“What?” asked Marinette, baffled, “how on earth does cheese relate to me having power-”

“Camembert,” he said, “I won’t talk until I get my camembert cheese,” Marinette’s nose wrinkled.

“Oh no, I will not be smelling like stinky old cheese!” Plagg didn’t bother responding, continuing to lay on the couch. Marinette groaned.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

10 minutes later, Marinette sat on her couch as her kwami proceeded to devour the pile of cheese on her coffee table. She had to resist the urge to gag.

“Now can you explain to me my powers?” she asked, pen and notepad at the ready. She was determined to become the best hero she could, which meant writing down everything she could learn.

“First of all,” said Plagg through a mouthful of cheese, “ditch the notebook” he floated over to her and proceeded to knock the notebook out of her hand, “if anyone ever saw that, your identity would be compromised and you would have to give up your miraculous,” Marinette simply blinked, taken aback by his initiative. As far as she could tell, he seemed too lazy to care about something like that.

“Okay,” said Marinette, giving him her undivided attention, “so what should I know about being Chat Noire?”

“The black cat miraculous has the power of destruction,” explained Plagg, “which gives you the power of cataclysm. Once you use it, you only have five minutes until you change back,” Marinette nodded, encouraging him to continue, but he didn’t bother going on.

“Is..that it?” she asked.

“Don’t use cataclysm on a human,” he advised, not bothering to face her, “that turned out ugly. And us kwami’s use up energy by transforming- so we need to recharge. By eating,” he finally turned to her giving her a cocky smile “meaning you have to carry camembert on you at all times,” Marinette sighed.

“There goes my ability to smell nice,” she said. She eyed the little creature, who had continued to munch on his snack. Plagg was a puzzle to her. He seemed so closed off and lazy, yet he was definitely smarter than he let on. Was it simply an act? She was determined to befriend the kwami. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the tv, and was shocked at what she saw.

“Hey, kid,” said Plagg, “did the new ladybug bother purifying the Akuma?”

“Beetlebug,” she corrected, “and purify? We just let it go. Were we supposed to?”

“He was supposed to,” said Plagg, “but I’ve seen greater screw-ups. We just have to wait until that girl gets akumatized again and then he can purify it,” Marinette thought back to the small girl that was the victim of the akumatization. Marinette had helped her find her surroundings, and felt bad for the poor girl.

“So, Plagg, wha-” the pair jumped as they heard a knock on the door. Plagg flew into her jacket as Nadja entered her room.

“Hi, Nadja!” said Marinette, trying to keep her cool, “what’s up?”

“Your mother wanted me to check in on you after the most recent...attack,” she said. Her gaze drifted from the small pile of cheese on her table to the window. “Why is your window open?” she asked. Marinette froze, realizing she never closed it when returning to her room.

“Oh! Uh, just wanted some fresh air!” she said, praying to her new little god that her voice didn’t crack as badly as she thought it did. Nadja blinked, but seemed to accept her excuse.

“Yes, well, your mother also asked me to talk to you about your recent request to go to school,” Marinette remembered their earlier argument, a pit forming in her stomach. She was going to get grounded, huh?

“Your mother thought over your request about going to school and has decided it would be beneficial to you,” Marinette couldn’t believe her ears. Was Nadja being serious? Mother was letting her go to school?

“That- wow! I, um, tell her I say thank you! When do I start?” she asked, unable to control her excitement.

“Tomorrow,” replied Nadja. Marinette was practically jumping with glee. She ran up and hugged Nadja.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” she said. Nadja stiffened at the sudden touch, but Marinette let go before she could return the hug.

“Have a nice evening, Marinette,” said Nadja with a smile. She then left the girl, closing the door behind her. Marinette squealed and excitedly fell on her couch.

“Did you hear that, Plagg? I get to go to school!” Plagg floated out of her jacket, hovering over her.

“Why would you want to go to school?” he asked, “if you ask me, I would rather stay indoors and eat cheese all day!”

“I can only sit here for so long, Plagg,” said Marinette, “I have never been to school before! This is my chance to make friends,” The tiny god simply looked down at its chosen.

Over the millennia, Plagg had been stuck with rotten chosens who abused the power he gave them. This led him into becoming cold and guarded. But this one felt...different.

_I like this kitten,_ Plagg thought, _maybe this will turn out okay._

⁎⁎⁎

“Good morning, class!” said Miss Mendeleiv as everyone settled into their seats, “today, I would like to announce that we have a new student. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of famous fashion designer Sabine Cheng, will be joining us for this school year,” Miss Mendeleiv motioned to the door, and the aforementioned student walked in. The class was taken aback by her appearance. Everything drew them in, from her petite figure to her high-end clothes, to her raven hair-

“MARINETTE!”

-and just like that, the illusion of the perfect girl was gone. Chloe bounced out of her seat and engulfed Marinette in a tight hug.

“Hey, Chlo!” she responded with a smile. The class groaned, realizing they would now be dealing with another snotty rich girl. Chloe motioned to the free front seat that was saved for her, and then took her place in the seat behind her. Marinette set her bag down, and Miss Mendeleiv started class.

“Hi!” whispered Marinette to the girl next to her. The girl simply looked at her, seemingly unimpressed.

“You’re friends with Chloe and Sabrina, right?” she asked flatly. Marinette looked confused.

“Sabrina? I have no idea who that is,” she said, “but yeah, I’m friends with Chloe. She’s my only friend..is there something wrong with her?” the girl’s expression melted from one of distaste to one of sympathy.

“Oh hon, Chloe is one half of a mean girl. She and Sabrina rule the school under an iron fist! Man, what a rough life,” she said, and held out a hand, “allow me to introduce myself. The name is Alya. Want to sit with us during lunch?” Marinette perked up and shook her hand.

“I would love to. It’s nice to meet you!” she said, face getting warm. She had already made a new friend! Today was turning out to be a good day.

While Alya was introducing Marinette to the rest of her friends at lunch, there was a loud noise followed by one of the walls shooting debris everywhere. Out came Chevron, snarling.

_There goes my normal school day,_ thought Marinette, She rushed to find a place to transform, and finally found solace in an abandoned classroom.

“Plagg, claws out!”

The leather-clad heroine jumped out of the room and entered back into the cafeteria. She didn’t see the Akuma anywhere, only seeing scared teenagers.

“Chat Noire!” called one student. She recognized him as the reporter boy from yesterday.

“Where did the akuma go?” she asked him.

“She left that way,” he said, pointing towards a gigantic hole in the wall that Chat had failed to see, “and she has hostages! She took two of my classmates!” at this, Chat Noire bristled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get them back safe,” she said, leaping out of the school and towards the Akuma. She could see Chevron climbing up the Eiffel Tower, as well as police cars surrounding it. Upon seeing a red blur towards the forefront of the crowd, she landed down next to it. Beetlebug turned to her, and his shoulders relaxed in relief.

“Chat Noire, thank goodness you’re here!” he said.

“What’s the plan, Beetlebug?” she asked, “I was told she has civilians.” Beetlebug nodded.

“The first thing we need to do is ensure they are safe,” said Beetlebug, “nothing to aggravate-”

“Return the hostages or we are opening fire!” yelled the head of police into a megaphone. Chat and Beetlebug both froze.

“Are you kidding me?” whispered Beetlebug.

“You want them?” roared Chevron, “fine!” she then threw one of the hostages. The crowd screamed, but Beetlebug sprang into action. He jumped in and caught the boy, leaving no injuries.

“Are you okay?” he asked. The boy, Chat recognized as one of her classmates, nodded, looking paler than before. He then walked off into the crowd.

“Alright!” Yelled the head of police, “get ready to open fire!”

“No!” said Bettlebug, throwing up his hands in an attempt to calm him down, “the more you attack her the bigger she grows! We need to handle this cal-”

“Step aside,” said the chief, “you already failed once! We’re not going to be taking advice from teenagers in silly costumes, now go home!” Beetlebug looked defeated, while Chat Noire simply got angry.

“Hey!” said Chat Noire, “what do you know?”

“No, he’s right,” said Beetlebug, covering his eyes with his hands, “I failed to capture the Akuma! This wouldn’t be happening if I wasn’t such a failure,” Chat’s heart twisted upon looking at her partner talk down on himself.

“You’re wrong,” said Chat, putting her hands on his shoulders “If it wasn’t for you, that boy wouldn’t be here. We saved people before, and we’ll do it again,” Beetlebug looked at her. “It’s you and me against the world, okay?”

“Okay,” said Beetlebug, giving a small smile. The two heroes turned their attention back to the Eiffel Tower when they heard a loud roar. Out from Chevron's mouth flew multiple butterflies, taking the form of a masked head.

“Hello, Paris,” said the head in a booming voice, “My name is Monarch. These two heroes have already done enough damage, and are only a menace to your city. Beetlebug, Chat Noire, give me your miraculous jewelry!”

“Nice try, Monarch!” yelled Beetlebug, taking a step forward “but we all know who the real menace is here. You’re the one turning innocent people into monsters. Chat Noire and I will continue to fight you, and we will end your reign of terror!” he then threw his yo-yo, vaulting himself up to the butterfly's face. He swung his yo-yo through the face until it eventually dispersed, letting out a frill scream. Beetlebug then turned to face the crowd, hands on his hips.

“Let me make this promise to you, Parisians!” he said, “as long as I am standing, I will come to your aid! You will never have to fear Monarch again!”

“Wow,” whispered Chat Noire, “Whoever that guy is behind that mask...he’s amazing,” she used her baton to join him up on the side of the Eiffel Tower. They looked at Chevron, who had seemingly fainted after throwing up butterflies. In her closed fist was a terrified looking boy.

“Please help me!” he said, “I’m scared of heights!”

“Don’t worry, Ivan,” said Beetlebug, coming over to him, “we’ll get you down safely.” The two heroes pried open her fist, and Ivan fell out, along with the friendship bracelet. Chat Noire called upon her cataclysm and hit the item, disintegrating it into rust. A black butterfly flew out.

“Not this time, akuma!” said Beetlebug, throwing his yo-yo and capturing it. It then opened to let out a white butterfly.

“Bye-bye little butterfly,” he said, and then threw his yo-yo in the air “Miraculous Beetlebug!” he watched the swarm of ladybugs cover the city, as the damage disappeared.

The two heroes smiled at each other, then turned to the two teenagers.

“Looks like you two have a lot to talk about,” said Beetlebug, walking over to them, “but let's get you back down safely, alright?”

Back on the ground, the heroes stood over to the side as Ivan and Mylene had a much-needed conversation.

“I-I was going to give it to you!” said Mylene, showing him the friendship bracelet, “b-because I really like you! But Max was making fun of me..”

“Oh, Mylene,” said Ivan, taking it in one of his big hands, blushing, “I love it! Thank you so much. I had no idea you felt the same way as me,” she blushed, and he put a hand on her cheek.

“May I?” he asked. She nodded, and he bent down to give her a tender kiss.

“Awwww,” Said Chat Noire, “they’re purrfect for each other! Don’t you agree, spots?” she asked, nudging Beetlebug. He looked at her with a warm look in his eyes,

“Was that a pun, kitten?” he asked, and Chat Noire froze, a blush creeping on her face. My god, she loved this man. They heard a beeping noise.

“Guess that’s your cue to leave,” he said, pointing to her earrings.

“I guess so,” she sighed, then flashed him a sharp-toothed smile and bowed, “until we meet again, monsieur,” she said, and vaulted away on her baton.

⁎⁎⁎

The next day at school, Adrien listened as Nino obsessed over the two new heroes.

“Chat Noire actually talked to me!” he said as they walked up the steps, arms flailing in excitement, “and did you see BeetleBug? So! Freaking! Cool!!” Adrien laughed, blushing slightly.

“Yeah, they were awesome!” he said. They walked into the classroom, and Adrien, feeling some new confidence, sat down in his usual seat.

“Feeling bold today, aren’t we?” teased Nino. Adrien smiled.

“If Beetlebug can stand up to a supervillain, I can stand up to Sabrina,” he said.

“And back to Beetlebug-” said Nino, taking out his phone, “I got some cool footage of the action yesterday! I’m thinking about starting a website- the Beetle blog!”

“That is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard,” cut a sharp voice. The two turned to see Sabrina, arms crossed.

“Who asked you?” Asked Nino, sticking his nose in the air. She simply scoffed, then turned to Adrien.

“You’re in our seat,” she said, scowling.

“I don’t care,” said Adrien, “it was my seat first. Now I’m not moving-unless you want to forcibly move me yourself,” she turned red.

“Why you little-”

“Is there a problem here?” Everyone turned to Marinette standing in the door, Chloe clinging to her.

“Yes!” said Sabrina, “Finally some people with sense! These two stole my seat!”

“Seriously?” sighed Marinette “What are we, in fourth grade?” she walked up to Sabrina, eyebrows scrunched up, “I won't tolerate this kind of behavior. Start treating others kindly, or else there is no way we will become friends,” Sabrina, along with the rest of the class, simply gawked at her as she silently turned around and took her seat. Sabrina stood there, appalled, until she finally stomped towards the front of the class. She sat next to Chloe’s seat in the front and pouted.

“Wow, that new girl is really something, huh?” whispered Nino towards Adrien, “I expected the rich girl to be all buddy-buddy with Sabrina and Chloe.”

“Yeah..” breathed Adrien, staring at the girl in front of him.

Once the bell rang, everyone rushed to get home. The sky was dark as it had started raining, and although Adrien lived right across the street, he wasn’t particularly excited to get wet. He wasn’t a big fan of rainy days- they were too gloomy. He missed the sun.

“Hey.” He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t even realize the petite girl who had come up next to him. Her bluebell eyes looked up at him, as he stood almost a head taller than her.

“H-hey!” said Adrien, “You’re the girl who's friends with Chloe, right? Marinette?” she smiled.

“Yeah, I am. Adrien, right?” he nodded. After an awkward pause, she looked away, sighing. "I know people feel uncomfortable around me...you all think I'm a rich snob, right?" He didn't bother answering, so she continued, "I've never been to a public school before. I'm not sure how all of this works," she looked back up at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

“My only friend is Chloe,” she said, looking out towards the road, “I’ve been homeschooled my whole life, so I’m not quite sure what I’m doing...I hope I can make some new friends” they both watched a black limousine pull up to the school.

“That's my ride,” she said softly, then looked back at him, “are you walking home?” all he could do was nod. “Take my umbrella,” she said, handing it to him.

“Thank you,” he said, taking it. He felt a jolt go through him as they touched hands. She smiled kindly at him.

“Take care, Adrien. See you tomorrow!” with that, she ran off into the rain, getting into the car. Adrien watched as it drove away.

“Wow…” he breathed, and Tikki flew out of his jacket pocket.

“She’s nice!” she said, nuzzling up to him, “I don’t blame you for having a crush on her!”

“Tikki!” hissed Adrien, face going red, “I don’t have a crush on her!”

“Whatever you say,” she said, flying back into his jacket, “now let's get home!” He nodded, and he started off towards his home, his hand clenching the handle of the umbrella given to him by a girl with raven hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I hope it was worth it!  
Next up by popular demand- Alya! I'm gonna have fun writing her chapter  
Have a miraculous day!


	4. The Songstress- Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes Alya's chapter! I finally figured out how to embed images into my stories lmao
> 
> If you want to see more art on my au, follow my social media accounts!  
Twitter: @closeted-demon  
Tumblr: @closeted-demon  
Instagram: @closeted-demon
> 
> Enjoy~!

Marinette could hardly sit still.

It had been about a month since she started school and she couldn’t be happier. After talking back to Sabrina, the rest of the class was a lot nicer to her, and she had even formed a close relationship with some of them! Not to mention the thrilling experience of jumping across rooftops with her red-clad partner. It had been a while since Marinette felt so content with how her life had been going.

And to top it all off, her mother was allowing her to hang out at Alya’s house!

...With supervision from Nadja and her uncle. But Marinette wasn’t about to complain. It was the first time she was allowed to hang out with a friend other than Chloe.

As her car drove up to the address and parked, Marinette marveled at the house in front of her. It was one story and brightly painted, with a small grassy yard decorated with wind chimes, a birdbath, and a hammock. She wasn’t sure why, but Marinette felt warm looking at it. Alya and an older woman stepped out of the door, and Wang got out of the car.

“Stay here until I motion towards you,” said Nadja, getting out of the car as well.

“Man, what an uptight pair,” said Plagg, poking his head out of one of Marinette’s twin buns. She looked down at him.

“They’re only looking out for me, Plagg,” she said, handing him a small sliver of camembert. She looked out the tainted windows and saw the two adults talking to Alya and who she guessed was her mother. She could faintly pick up the conversation.

“-of utmost importance that no one else knows she is here,” said Nadja. The woman nodded, a smile on her face.

“Don’t worry, Miss Chamak,” said the woman, “we are very happy to have her here!” Nadja looked towards Marinette, who took that as her cue to get out of the car. She walked up to them and bowed slightly.

“Hello, ma’am,” said Marinette, “it’s wonderful to meet you!”

“What a polite young lady,” said the woman, “You can call me Marlena. Alya here won’t stop talking about you.”

“Mom!” said Alya, and Marinette felt her cheeks go warm.

“Why don’t you come in?” asked Marlena, motioning towards the door, “you girls can hang out in Alya’s room! I have tea and pastries for us adults,” the small group entered the house, with Alya leading the way. The adults went into the living room, while Marinette followed Alya to her bedroom.

“This is so cute!” said Marinette, looking around. The big window allowed for the room to be bathed in sunlight. The white walls were covered in posters, and in one corner was a keyboard and a guitar. Alya proceeded to jump on her bed, disrupting the pile of pillows.

“Thanks! I’m sure it’s not as impressive as yours, though,” she said, patting the space next to her. Marinette delicately sat down on the edge of the bed.

“My room is too big,” said Marinette, pulling her knees up to her chest, “it gets too lonely,” she looked at her new best friend with a small smile, “Your house is nice. It feels like a home.”

“That sounds rough, girl,” spoke Alya softly. The two fell into a comfortable silence before Alya got up and walked towards a small television in her room. She sat down in front of it, pulling out two controllers.

“Want to play Super Mega Smash?” she asked, turning towards her friend. Marinette lit up.

“I love that game!” she said, joining Alya on the floor. The two played for a little bit before some loose papers caught Marinette’s eye.

“BOOM! Finally beat you!” said Alya. When she didn’t hear a response, she looked over to see Marinette holding a stack of papers in her hand. Alya’s face went beat red.

“Don’t read those!” said Alya, lunging to grab the papers away from Marinette, but she wasn’t fast enough. Marinette swooped out of the way, holding her leg out to block Alya without even looking up.

“Alya, these are amazing!” said Marinette, looking at her friend, “I didn’t know you wrote songs!” Alya’s blush spread to her ears and down her neck. She looked away, bringing her knees to her chest.

“It’s just a hobby,” she said, “I’ve always been really into music. It would be my dream to do something with it one day.”

“You totally should!” said Marinette, “Alya, these are really good!”

“Thanks, Mari,” said Alya, “I’m actually thinking about entering the teen voice competition! But…"

"But what?" Asked Marinette. Alya rubbed her neck.

"I doubt I'll win, so why even bother, right?"

"No!" Said Marinette, startling Alya, "it's your dream! You should totally go for it! I'll even go and support you, damn what my mother says!" Alya's eyes welled up, before playfully punching Marinette's shoulder.

"Okay ya sap, I'll do it," she said, and Marinette squealed for joy.

"Now," said Marinette, picking up her controller, "let's see if you can beat me for real this time, huh?"

⁎⁎⁎

Marinette wasn't incredibly anxious on the car ride home. She knew if she said the right things, her mother would let her see Alya perform. One benefit of being in the public spotlight is that they were often given special benefits- _including_ VIP seating.

Marinette walked up to her mother's study. She took a deep breath and proceeded to knock on the large wooden door.

"Come in," said a cool voice, and Marinette tentatively stepped into the room. She saw her mother sitting at her desk, furiously typing away.

"Hi, mother," said Marinette, closing the door behind her. Sabine looked up and then went back to her typing.

"Hello, dear. How was your get-together with your friend?" Marinette couldn't help but hear the dryness in her tone.

"It was amazing! I had so much fun. I actually have a question regarding that friend," this made Sabine look up at her.

"And what would that be?"

"Well, she's going to audition in the upcoming teen voice competition, and I was hoping I would be able to see her?" Marinette saw Sabine's eyebrows scrunch together, so she continued, "of course Nadja and Uncle would be with me!! And maybe some of my new friends, and we can sit in the VIP seating! You know Nathalie knows us," the silence was almost deafening. Marinette's throat seemed to tighten.

"How have your grades been?" Asked Sabine, not even regarding the question.

"I have A's in all of my classes, mother," replied Marinette. Her mother nodded.

"Very well. I will have Nadja and Wang accompany you, and will get in contact with Nathalie Sancoeur. You are allowed to bring two friends with you."

"Thank you, mother!" Said Marinette.

"However," Sabine continued, "since I am letting you go to this event, I will be increasing this month's number of photoshoots, and I don't expect your grades to slip. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mother," Said Marinette a little quieter now. Sabine nodded and went back to typing.

"You are dismissed."

Marinette bowed slightly and then left her mother's study, slowly closing the door behind her. "

Hear that Plagg?" Whispered Marinette, rushing to her room and slamming the door, "another win for Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" The little black god flew out of her shirt pocket and dove straight into his pile of cheese on the table.

"But now you have to do more work!" Said Plagg, poking his head out, "sounds like a foul trade to me."

"You just don't understand how my mother works, stinky socks," Marinette replied, going over and poking Plagg in the forehead. He simply grunted in response. Marinette couldn’t help but smile fondly, and jumped when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Upon checking it, she saw a notification named 'Check for Bugs'. Marinette had taken Plagg's advice in being conspicuous about writing things down. This notification reminded her she had to meet up with her new partner. After the last akuma- a retired gymnast- the pair agreed they should meet up every so often to train. Tonight was their first night.

"You ready Plagg?" She asked, and only received a groan.

"There's no need to do this you know. You're more than capable to practice by yourself in your roo-"

"Plagg, claws out!"

"-ommMMM NOOoo," the little kwami was cut off as he got sucked into her earrings, transforming Marinette. Chat Noire turned off her bedroom lights, and put pillows underneath her blanket to make it appear like she was sleeping. Then, she opened her window and jumped out, traveling to the Arc de Triomphe, their designated meeting space. She landed on the top, and upon not seeing anyone, walked towards the edge and sat down. Granted, she was early, but she was more than ready to get out of her house. She just sat there for who knows how long, admiring the view of Paris at night. She heard a thump behind her and turned to see her partner.

“Nice of you to finally show up,” said Chat Noire, getting up and bowing. Beetlebug giggled at her gesture, and Chat felt her heart swell.

“Sorry kitty, I was stuck helping my parents,” he responded, grabbing his yoyo, “you ready?”

“Always,” said Chat, taking out her baton and extending it, “bring it on!”

After what seemed like a few hours of back and forth fighting, the two heroes stood across from each other, panting.

“Man,” breathed Beetlebug, “I really gotta get back in shape.”

“What are you talking about?” replied Chat in a breathy tone, “you’re already in tip-top shape. I mean, you managed to keep up with me! That’s an achievement,” Bettlebug rolled his eyes, and then put his yoyo back on his hip.

“So what now?” he asked. Chat looked at the screen on her baton- it read 9:45 pm.

“Well,” said Chat, “I don’t know about you but I have an early morning,” she said.

“So time to get going, huh?” he asked. She nodded, but felt a twinge of sadness. A few more seconds passed between them before Beetlebug started spinning his yoyo.

“Well, have a good night, Chat Noire,” and with that, he swung into the night. Chat couldn’t find herself to do anything but watch him until his form disappeared behind a group of buildings. With a big sigh, she extended her baton and headed back towards her home.

⁎⁎⁎

“Man, you look like shit,” said Nino. Adrien grumbled in response as he took a seat next to his friend.

“Thanks, Nino,” he responded dryly. The sparing with Chat Noire the night before left him energized- meaning he didn’t go to bed until around 2 am. Heavy bags hung under his eyes as he downed a coffee his mama had given him. A voice shook him out of his haze.

“Good morning, boys!” said Alya, Marinette right behind them, “Man Adrien, you look tired!”

“Why does everyone keep saying that..” he murmured, sliding down in his seat.

“Oh give him a break, Alya,” said Marinette, “let's get settled in so we can talk about-”

“Shh!” hushed Alya, covering Marinette's mouth. The girls then erupted into a fit of giggles as they sat at their desk.

“What do you think that was about?” whispered NIno. Adrien just shrugged. During class, the two girls seemed to whisper to each other. When Madame Mendeleiv told them to be quiet, the girls started passing notes. Once the bell rang, Alya quickly grabbed Marinette’s hand and the two rushed out of the classroom. Nino and Adrien only looked at each other, a bit confused. That went on for the next few days. The two seemingly separate themselves from everyone else- always whispering and giggling. Because of this, whispers started getting around the classroom, and all of them had Adrien reeling.

“I mean, they can’t be dating, right?” asked Adrien, pacing while Nino sat on a bench.

“I don’t know, dude. They have been getting really close-” when Adrien shot his friend a look of heartbreak, Nino hastily continued, “-but Marinette hasn’t been here for very long! So who knows haha…”

“We have to get to the bottom of this,” said Adrien, making a fist, “it’s not fair for these rumors to be going around about them without knowing all the facts!”

“You sure you’re not just jealous, bro?” asked Nino, raising an eyebrow. Adrien stuck up his nose and crossed his arms.

“Why, I am _appalled_ that you would even _suggest_-”

“Hold that thought, bro,” said Nino, standing up, “I think I got us an opening,” he turned Adrien’s head to the locker room, where Marinette was walking in- with no Alya by her side.

“N-now?” sputtered Adrien, face going red, “but I need time to prepare! How does my hair look? Does my breath smell? Should I-”

“Ohhh no,” said Nino, taking Adrien’s shoulders and forcibly moving him to sit down on the bench, “you and your blabbermouth are not going anywhere near this situation.”

“Well how are we going to ask her?” questioned Adrien. Nino flashed him a smile.

“I think you mean how am _I_ going to ask her,” he proudly put a hand on his chest, “using my top-dog reporter skills, I, Nino Lahiffe, will question my bro’s crush to see if she is currently unavailable,” Adrien’s eyes went wide.

“Wait, Nino no-!”

“Be back in a flash!” said the reporter, already running off. Adrien felt his heart jump.

“What did I get myself into?” he squawked.

In the locker room, Marinette started packing up her stuff, when she heard a hey from behind her. She turned to see Nino.

“Oh, hey Nino!” she said, smiling wide. She finished grabbing her things and closed her locker, turning to him and giving him her full attention, “what’s up?”

“I was just wondering about you and Alya,” he said, “you two have been sneaking off a lot lately. Is everything okay?” Marinette laughed.

“Everything’s fine! Why wouldn’t it be?” she asked. He leaned in closer to her.

“Are you suuuuuure? Seems like you two are planning something,” she scoffed and gently pushed his face back.

“So _that’s_ what you want. I’ll tell you, but only if you keep it a secret,” he nodded eagerly, and she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“She’s competing in the teen voice competition! I’m helping her plan for it.”

“What?!” exclaimed Nino, gaining them curious glances from other students in the locker room.

“Shhh!” hushed Marinette, “you said you would keep it a secret!”

“But this is too big to be a secret, Marinette! We should be broadcasting this! Everyone should come and show their support!” Marinette’s face looked panicked, but it quickly shifted into something more sly.

“How about this,” she said, “you stay quiet about this, and you can join me in my VIP seating at the concert. I have tickets for two extra people.”

“Two people, you say?” he asked, receiving a nod from her. He thought for a moment.

“Seems you’ve forced my hand,” he responded. When she smiled, he held up a hand, “but only on one condition- by dudebro Adrien can snag that extra seat.”

“Well of course!” she said without hesitation, “he’s totally welcome to come along!” Nino smiled. _He’s gonna owe me for this one,_ he thought to himself.

“Here, I’ll give you my number,” she said, pulling out a pen and proceeding to write it on his hand, “you can make a group chat with me, you, and Adrien! I can add Alya,” he nodded. At that moment, Alya came walking in.

“Hey girl!” she said, “you ready? Your ride is here.”

“Of course!” Marinette said, heading over to her. Marinette looked back and winked at Nino before the two exited the locker room.

“You got her number?!” exclaimed Adrien, grabbing Nino's hand and looking at it.

“And that’s not all!” replied Nino proudly, “I also got us a night with her and Alya!” when Adrien looked up at him confused, he continued “so Alya is competing in the upcoming teen voice competition, which is why her and Marinette have been sneaking around! I convinced her to invite us, and we get VIP seating,” Adrien looked at him, taking a few moments to process the information given to him.

“Oh my god,” he said, slowly smiling, “Nino! You’re a genius!” he hugged his friend, who laughed and hugged back.

“I know, I know,” he said, “now you can pay me back by giving me some chocolate croissants!” Adrien gently punched his shoulder.

“You beggar,” he teased. The two boys walked out of the school, going their separate ways.

⁎⁎⁎

As soon as he closed his door, Adrien squealed. Tikki flew out of his jacket, smiling.

“Can you believe it, Tikki?” asked Adrien, “I get to spend time with Marinette!”

“That’s great, Adrien!” laughed Tikki, “when is it happening?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, going to his computer and looking up the competition. “Oh! It’s in two days!” he shot up from his seat, “it’s so soon! I need to prepare! What can I wear?” he started dashing around his room, trying to assemble everything for the night.

“Adrien,” sang Tikki, floating over to him, “I know you’re excited, but you have homework to do!” Adrien stopped and looked at his kwami, smiling.

“You’re right Tikki,” he said, and proceeded to scratch her head, “what would I do without you?” the little being smiled and seemed to glow. Adrien sat down at his desk and got out his work, while Tikki sat down on his clock.

Adrien wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he triumphantly closed his history textbook.

“All done!” he said.

“Good thing too,” replied Tikki, flying over to him with his phone, “because you have new messages!"

"Really?" Asked Adrien, looking at his phone. He almost fainted upon seeing the messages

**Nino:** Hey, Marinette! It's Nino. You said you're going to add Alya to this chat, right?

**Random number**: you got it!

**-New number added-**

Adrien took time to make new contacts on his phone for the girls, and then heard another ping.

**Alya:** Hey girl! Who is everyone else?

**Nino:** I'm Nino, and the other number is Adrien.

**Alya:** I see. I'm gonna guess you guys are who Mari invited?

**Nino:** Only the best of the best :P

**Alya:** ...sure. So, I’ll let Mari give you the rundown!

**Marinette:** Okay so, the comp is in two days! So friday after school, you all can get ready at someone’s house, and then come on over to mine around 4pm! From there, my assistant and bodyguard will drive us to the news station. After that, just follow my lead! Sound good?

**Nino:** you have your own assistant and bodyguard? :o Protective much?

**Alya:** Nino!

**Marinette:** Haha yeah, technically it’s my mom’s assistant. She just wants me to be safe.

**Nino:** Ah I get it, my older brother is the same way

**Nino:** Hey Adrien, I see you’re active bro! Say hi!

Adrien jumped, almost dropping his phone. He wasn’t expecting to be called out.

**Adrien:** Hi guys! Sorry, was just doing some homework

**Alya:** LAAAME

**Marinette:** Alya!

**Nino:** Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him

**Alya:** excuse me?

**Marinette:** haha, it is important to do your homework, Alya

**Alya:** you guys are bullies >:(

Adrien chuckled at the exchange, before realizing a separate chat window had opened.

**Marinette:** Hey, Adrien! I hope we’re not bothering you. I’m happy you can hang out with us friday ^-^

Adrien squealed.

“Tikki!” he said, showing her the phone, “Marinette messaged me!” Tikki smiled.

“How cute!” she said, choosing to rest on top of his head, “better respond soon!”

“Oh, uh, right!” he said, thinking of an adequate response.

**Adrien:** It’s no problem at all, thank you for inviting me! I can’t wait!

He cringed as soon as he sent the message. “Maybe I was too formal?” he asked.

“Don’t fret, Adrien,” said Tikki, “it sounds fine! Now get to bed- you need to catch up on your sleep!” Adrien hummed in response, getting up to get ready for bed.

After getting tucked up in bed, he checked his messages one more time before going to bed. There was some more conversation in the group chat, but what caught his attention was the message from Marinette.

**Marinette:** Sleep well ✿

He smiled. _Cute_, he thought, _she must like flowers._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awe, cute character interactions!!  
I hope you all enjoy it. I love hearing your feedback! Next chapter will be uploaded soon ^-^  
Have a miraculous day! <3


	5. The Songstress- Part Two

It was Friday, and the four friends could hardly contain their excitement. They could tell they were getting on Mr. Damocles’ last nerve, as the science teacher kept giving them glares. He ended up letting the class out early since everyone seemed ‘incredibly distracted’. After packing up their things, the four walked out of the school to see Marinette’s ride pull up.

“Remember to come over to my house around 4, okay?” said Marinette, turning to them.

“Right!” agreed the three others, and they waved her off as she walked towards her car.

“Are you sure it’s okay to crash at your place?” asked Alya, “I’m sure my mother wouldn’t mind having company. I’d hate to impose.”

“It’s no problem!” said Adrien as the three started walking, “besides, my house is right next door to the school. It’s the most convenient!”

“You’re right about that,” agreed Nino, “I have to ride the metro for half an hour.”

“Why even come here then?” questioned Alya, “you’re new, right?”

“Not sure, but I don’t really worry about it,” shrugged Nino. Alya and Adrien gave each other quizzical looks but decided to let it go. 

Upon entering the Agreste bakery, Nino stared in awe at the place.

“Cat got your tongue?” asked Alya, making Adrien snicker, “don’t tell me you’ve never been in the best bakery in all of Paris?” Nino shook his head. Adrien looked over to the register and made eye contact with his father, who waved. Emilie showed up behind him and started walking towards them.

“Adrien!” she called in a friendly voice.

“Hi, mama!” said Adrien, hugging the woman. She then turned to Alya and Nino.

“Alya,” she said, giving the girl a hug, “it’s wonderful to see you again! How’s your mother? I haven’t seen her around in a while.”

“She’s okay, Mrs. Agreste,” said Alya smiling. Adrien’s mother then turned to Nino.

“And you must be Nino!” she said, holding out her arms. Nino accepted it, giving her a hug.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Agreste,” he said. She scoffed.

“Please, call me Emilie,” she said, and then motioned the three to follow her to the back, “come on upstairs! We have plenty of snacks for you all!” Nino smiled wide, getting a snarky remark from Adrien as the three walked upstairs. Upon entering the small house, a sweet aroma hit the three teens. In front of the couch was a coffee table, piled with sweets and food.

“Mama, don’t you think this is a bit much?” asked Adrien.

“Nonsense,” said the woman, heading to the kitchen to get cups, “would you kids like hot chocolate?”

“Yes please!” said Nino and Adrien at the same time.

“Just water is fine, thank you,” responded Alya. The three sat down on the couch as Emilie placed their drinks in front of them.

“Now I’m going to help out your father in the bakery, you kids don’t hesitate to ask for anything! Our home is your home,” said Emilie, and with a wave, she grabbed an apron and closed the door behind her.

“Dude,” said Nino, biting into a cookie, “Your mom is the best!”

“You’re telling me,” said Alya, picking up a sandwich, “you’re so lucky!” Adrien smiled bashfully and grabbed the TV remote.

“Yeah, I love her,” he said, “you guys want to watch something, or play super mega-smash?”

“Super Mega!” yelled Nino with a mouthful of food.

“_Ewww_,” said Alya, throwing a pillow at him. “Don’t be gross!”

“I’m not gross!” defended Nino.

“No dude, that was pretty gross,” chimed in Adrien, who’s statement received a groan from Nino and a laugh from Alya.

“My own best friend- betraying me!” he said, standing up and putting a hand on his forehead, “woe is me!” The two just looked at him, before all of them promptly burst into laughter. 

Outside the door, Emilie smiled, listening to their interactions.

“Snooping again, are we?” asked a voice, and Emilie turned to see Gabriel walking up the stairs. She shrugged, with an innocent look.

“It’s been a while since Adrien has had anyone over,” she said, “They seem like good kids.”

“Agreed,” said Gabriel, giving his wife a kiss on her forehead, “now it’s your turn to man the register- I can only deal with people for so long,” she laughed, giving him a quick kiss.

“Alright you people-hater,” she teased, heading down the stairs. 

He laughed and happily followed.

⁎⁎⁎

Marinette had just finished getting ready when she heard a knock at the door.

“Come in!” she said, and Nadja entered.

“Marinette, your friends are here,” Mari smiled wide.

“Thank you, Nadja! I just need to grab some things!” Nadja nodded and left the room. Marinette went over to her bed and picked up her purse. She looked inside to see Plagg, sitting next to the cheese she packed him.

“You stink,” she stated as the smell hit her nose, “just be good, okay? Tonight needs to be perfect.”

“Don’t sweat it, kid,” said Plagg lazily, “I’ll be here napping,” she closed her purse and proceeded to douse it, and then herself, in vanilla perfume. She walked out and towards the grand staircase. When looking down, she saw Adrien, Alya, and Nino standing at the bottom.

“Hi guys!” said Marinette, rushing down to meet them. She hugged Alya and smiled at the boys. Nino smiled while elbowing Adrien, who was gawking.

“You ready to go girl?” asked Alya, and Marinette nodded. Nadja appeared next to them.

“Follow me to the car,” she said and proceeded to walk off. The group followed her.

“That’s my mother's assistant, Nadja,” whispered Marinette, “and my bodyguard is my uncle Wang,” in walking into the large garage, they saw her bodyguard in the driver's seat, while Nadja proceeded to sit in the passenger's seat.

“Scary,” whispered Nino, who got a glare from Alya. Everyone got in the car, with Alya and Nino in back and Adrien and Marinette upfront. The car proceeded to drive to the news station.

“I have my entire song memorized,” said Alya, “we were told to send the background music to the station, but I brought my flash drive _just_ in case.”

“Don’t worry, Alya,” reassured Marinette, “everything will be great!”

“Yeah!” said Adrien, “I’m sure whatever song you chose, you’ll do great at!”

“For your information,” said Alya, crossing her arms and smiling proudly, “I wrote this song myself,” the boys gawked at her.

“That’s..actually really cool,” said Nino.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” said Alya, and Nino rolled his eyes. Marinette and Adrien smiled, and then Marinette turned to Adrien.

“Alya said your parents owned a bakery, is that true?”

“Y-yeah!” said Adrien. “My bakery has a parents- I mean! My parents have a bakery!! Hah..”

“I’ll have to go sometime,” she responded, “I have a pretty strict diet for modeling, but I’m sure I can break it,” she winked, and Adrien felt his heart flutter.

“We’re here,” said Nadja from the front. Everyone got out and followed Nadja with Marinette’s uncle walking behind them. Nathalie came outside and met them.

“Hello, Miss Chamack!” said Nathalie, “Mrs. Cheng told me you would be arriving, and I wanted to escort you personally.”

“We greatly appreciate it, Mrs. Sancoeur,” said Nadja. It was then that Nathalie noticed the group of teenagers.

“Adrien!” she said cheerfully, “what a wonderful surprise!”

“Hello Nathalie,” he said, chuckling.

“So, which one of you is a contestant?” asked Nathalie, and when Alya raised her hand, Nathalie smiled and pointed towards a door.

“You will be entering through there,” Nathalie explained, “from there, one of my news anchors will help get you situated,” Alya nodded, and after thanking her, she sped off towards the door. Nathalie turned her attention towards the rest of the group.

“Now, you all can follow me,” said Nathalie, turning around and walking towards the door she came out of, “I will show you to your seats~” the group followed her.

“Dude,” whispered Nino, “how on earth do _you_ know Nathalie Sancoeur?”

“She’s friends with my parents,” explained Adrien, “and I often babysit her daughter.”

“That’s so sweet!” cooed Marinette, causing Adrien to blush slightly.

“Maybe you can babysit my siblings as well,” said Nino, “they’re a handful!”

“Only if you pay me!” shot back Adrien as they took their seats. It was a section that was slightly separated from the rest of the seats, and besides them, there were hardly any other people.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Exclaimed Marinette, "my first ever concert!"

"Um, I don't think I'd necessarily call this a concert...," said Nino. Adrien kicked his shin, and Nino muffled an ow.

"That's awesome, Marinette!" Said Adrien, "maybe we can help you complete a lot of firsts!" Nino snickered and Marinette just stared at him. Adrien realized how strange that sounded, and his face quickly went red.

“Ah! Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!” he said, talking fast, “what I meant was- maybe we can do a lot of things together! UH- activities! I mean-” Adrien put his head in his hands. _It’s over_, he thought, _she hates me! She thinks I’m weird!_

A laugh tore through Adrien’s thoughts, and he looked up to see both Nino and Marinette laughing.

“I think I’d like that,” said Marinette, wiping a tear from her eye, “I have a lot of fun hanging out with you guys!” Adrien smiled, glad that Marinette hadn’t found his comment strange.

“Ohh, it’s starting!” said Nino as the lights dimmed. Nathalie walked on stage and started her introduction.

Throughout the competition, Adrien felt it hard to actually focus on the contestants. The seating arrangement left him sitting in between both Nino and Marinette- and _she_ was capturing most of his attention. When she wasn’t star-struck by the acts, she would turn to him and touch his arm, saying “wasn’t that great?” 

Adrien felt like his heart was going to explode.

Finally, it got to Alya. She was one of the last ones, and the three friends held their breath as she walked on stage. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and her eyes had a subtle shine to them. Adrien had to admit she looked very pretty. They heard the music start to play, and saw her take a deep breath. Then she started singing.

Adrien had grown up with Alya, as the two had always been in the same class. As kids, she would often sing popular songs they liked, and Adrien had found it impressive. However, the past two years, she had curled up into her shell and cut herself off from most of the class. It wasn't until this year, upon meeting Marinette, that she started opening up to the class again. He had no idea that she still liked singing.

Or that she was so dang _good_ at it!

Adrien, Marinette, and Nino all sat in awe as she sang her song. Once done, they all jumped out of their seats and cheered as loud as they could. She made eye contact with them and smiled. 

“She was incredible!” said Adrien.

“No kidding!” replied Marinette, “that was even better than all the times we practiced!” when the two didn’t hear a response from Nino, they turned to see him staring at the stage, a slight blush on his face.

“Nino,” said Adrien, lightly elbowing his arm. Nino jumped and looked at them.

“What! Uh, yeah?”

“Did you like it?” asked Marinette. He shrugged, not making eye contact.

“I mean, it was good and stuff,” he said sheepishly.

There were only two more acts after Alya, and they went by relatively fast. Finally, it was time for judging. Nathalie was on stage with all of the contestants behind her. The three judges stood to her left, holding the prizes. 

“Thank you, everyone, who came out tonight to support these wonderful teens! But unfortunately, there can only be three winners. In third place- Aurore Beauréal!”

A petite blonde girl looked surprised and stepped up next to Nathalie. She shyly took her reward.

“-In second place, Wayhem Castille!” a brunette boy looked happy, and excitedly received his prize, standing next to Aurore.

“And finally, our winner of the teen voice competition- Clara Nightingale!” 

Alya felt her stomach drop. She didn’t win…

It’s not as if she felt as though she deserved to win, but she did pretty good! Hell, the girl in third place, Aurore, messed up on her song! So why did she win, and not Alya?

The rest of the contestants were shooed off the stage, and Alya went up to one of the judges backstage.

“H-hi,” she started, voice shaky, “I’m not saying I should have won, but..can I know what I did wrong? So I can improve,” the judge looked her up and down, a bored look on her face.

“It’s not that you did anything wrong,” she said, voice flat, “you just aren’t the...look we were looking for.”

“..Look?” asked Alya. She looked at the contestants, and realized what the judge had meant. All the contestants were thin, pale, and superficially pretty.

“Better luck next time,” said the judge, patting Alya’s shoulder. Alya hardly noticed it, too focused on her own internalized rage.

“Unbelievable ...!” she growled, storming off. She heard Marinette and the boys calling her name, but she couldn't bear to face them. She opened an unlocked door and entered the dark room. She sunk down to the floor and put her head in her arms, crying.

“What a poor girl,” soothed a distant voice, “I can give you the power to display your talent to all of Paris. In return, you must get me Beetlebug and Chat Noire’s miraculous”

“Yes Monarch,” replied Alya, getting consumed by black goop.

⁎⁎⁎

“I hope Alya’s okay,” said Marinette as the small group walked through the hallway, “I haven’t seen her anywhere!”

“Your friend just may just be retrieving her things, Marinette,” said Nadja.

“But the contest ended 15 minutes ago!” said Adrien, looking at his watch, “we’ve already seen most of the contestants, but not her.”

“Dude, this is totally unfair,” grumbled Nino, “she totally should have won! She was the best!”

“I know,” said Marinette, knocking on a nearby door, “I totally agree, bu-”

She was cut off when the door she knocked on was blasted off its hinges, knocking Marinette back.

“Marinette!” cried Adrien, and before they could do anything Wang swooped in and picked her up, hiding her from the threat.

“Stay back, kids!” Said Nadja, jumping in front of the two boys. Purple fog filtered out from the dark room, and they heard a laugh.

“You’re right about one thing,” sang a woman's voice, walking out of the room, “I, the Songstress, should have won.”

Adrien watched her wave her microphone, glitter coming out of it and covering Nino, Nadja, and Wang. The three stood up, eyes gold and glossy. Adrien saw Marinette cowering, and assumed her uncle must have blocked the spray from hitting her.

“Now, my adoring fans,” cooed the Songstress, “we have a date with the judges.” the three picked her up, carrying her as she sat tall and proud. After watching them disappear around the corner, he looked to see if Marinette was okay, and saw that she was gone.

“Looks like Alya got akumatized!” said Tikki, poking out of Adrien’s shirt, “we need to transform!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he said, “Tikki, spots on!”

⁎⁎⁎

It hadn’t been long since the competition ended, so there were still plenty of people on the stage and in the audience. Their voices bounced off the walls, but everyone grew hushed when all the lights turned off. A single spotlight shone in the back, illuminating a tall woman.

“Thank you all for coming,” she sang, opening her eyes, “point me in the direction of the judges!”

“Oh for pete’s sake,” said a man in the audience, loud enough for everyone to hear, “another sore loser got akumatized.”

The Songstress’ head whipped to the source,

“That’s what you think, is it?” she sang, bringing the microphone to her lips, “the Songstress is NOT AMUSED!!”

Sound waves radiated from the microphone, launching those in its path into the air. Many hit the walls, some landed on the stage. The people who witnessed it started screaming and running, trying to get to the doors.

“Not so fast!” sang the songstress, jumping into the air and shooting glitter over everyone. Those hit stopped running and turned to her.

“You will all bow to me!” she sang. The audience complied, bowing down.

"Now'" sang the Songstress, "I demand the judges of this competition to stand!"

Three people stood up. They were all older, one female and the other two males.

"There you are" she growled, raising her microphone wand.

"Not so fast!"

A black blur swept past the Songstress, knocking her microphone out of her hand. Chat Noire landed gracefully on the floor, baton in hand.

"You mangy cat!" Screeched the Songstress, balling her hands into fists. She dove for her microphone and shot a glittering beam at the heroine, but Chat jumped out of the way in time, landing on the catwalk. The songstress went to yell into her wand, but before she could, a yoyo wraps around it and yanked it out of her hand.

"Not so fast, akuma!" Said Beetlebug, snagging the mic. He quickly snapped it in half, but no butterfly came out. The songstress laughed. 

"Silly bug! It'll take more than that to defeat me," she sang, a new microphone appearing in her hand. She dashed towards him, and he sidestepped, and as she turned to him a grey baton hit her head, knocking her back.

"Oops," cringed Chat, landing next to her partner, "that was more aggressive than I intended."

"Any guesses of where the akuma is? It's not her mic," asked Beetlebug.

"I'm not seeing much on her costume," said Chat, bracing as the akuma dashed towards them. The hero's jumped in different directions, and the Songstress chose to go after Beetlebug. She pinned him down, and he kicked her off of him. Chat swiped the Songstress' feet out from under her, which she quickly recovered from. She screamed into her mic, knocking Chat Noire back, her petite body slamming into the wall.

"Lucky charm!" Called out Beetlebug, and a bucket filled with water fell down.

“What am I supposed to do with this...?” he wondered aloud, looking around. It then hit him.

“Chat Noire!” he cried, “hit the lights!” Chat jumped up to the catwalk and turned on the spotlight, shining it directly in the songstress’ face. She screamed and covered her eyes, and Beetlebug took the opportunity to splash the water on her, flattening her hair to reveal a golden hair clip.

“There!” yelled Beetlebug, but Chat Noire was already on it. She quickly jumped and tackled Songstress, still distracted.

“Cataclysm!” yelled Chat, and she grabbed the clip. It immediately dissolved and a black butterfly flew out of it.

“Not so fast little akuma,” said Beetlebug, taking out his yoyo, “time to de-evilize!” he captured the akuma, purifying it and letting out a white butterfly. Black goop covered Songstress, and in her place was Alya.

“Pound it!” said the two heroes, fist-bumping.

“Wh-what happened? Beetlebug? Chat Noire?” the two turned to see Alya, sitting on the floor looking confused.

“You were akumatized,” explained Beetlebug, coming over and picking up the akumatized item- her hair elastic.

“Oh no!” she said, putting her hands on her face, “I can’t believe myself…”

“Alya!” yelled a voice, and the three turned to see Nino running towards them. Alya stood up only to be engulfed in a tight hug by Nino.

“Well, we should head out," said Beetlebug, taking out his yoyo, "Bug out!” Beetlebug swung away, and Chat Noire did the same in the opposite direction.

⁎⁎⁎

“Alya!” cried Marinette, running up to her friends.

“Marinette!” said Alya, who was walking with Adrien and Nino.

“I’m so happy you’re alright,” said Marinette, stopping in front of them, “I’m sorry you didn’t win!”

“It’s alright,” waved Alya, “it was a good chance to get out of my comfort zone!”

“Plus the judges are, like, totally bogus,” said Nino, crossing his arms. They all chuckled.

"You can say that again," said Adrien.

"Agreed," said Marinette, taking out her phone, "ah shoot, missed calls from Nadja! We should really find her and uncle."

"For sure dudette!" Said Nino as she dialed someone's number.

"Okay, perfect! Be right down!" Marinette hung up, then turned to her three friends.

"They're waiting outside the building by the car, and offered to drive you all home! Does that work?'

"Sure beats walking," joked Alya, and they all headed towards the exit. Adrien fell behind with Nino, who was looking at the ground.

"Anything on your mind?" Asked Adrien, making Nino jump.

"Don't be stupid," said Nino, "nothing but dead space up here," he tapped his head.

"Whatever you say, man," Said Adrien, sneaking a glance at Marinette. He hoped she had fun and would have to ask her about it later. 

Once in the car, Nadja inquired about directions.

"Who needs to be dropped off first?"

"I do," said Nino, "I live the furthest away."

"My house is between his house and the bakery," continued Alya, "so it would be easiest to drop me off next, and Adrien last!" Adrien's heart nearly tore out of his chest.

I would be alone with Marinette! He spared a look at Nino, who winked at him.

"Thank you," Adrien mouthed, and they headed off. Conversation was casual, and soon it was just Adrien and Marinette.

"I'm bummed Alya didn't win, but I still had fun," Said Marinette, looking at Adrien. He gulped, a slight pink dusting his features.

"I had fun too!" Said Adrien, "who knew the industry could be so vain?"

"It's a cut-throat industry," said Marinette, "if you're pretty enough, you can fake the talent and still get ahead."

"Wow,” said Adrien, marveling at her. The car slowed to a stop.

“This is your stop,” said Nadja, and Adrien went to open the door.

“Have a nice night,” said Marinette, smiling. Adrien smiled back.

“Y-you too!” he said, and the car drove off.

“What a fun day!” said Tikki, poking out of his collar.

“You’re telling me” breathed Adrien, a lovestruck look on his face. He hoped that he would be able to hang out more with Marinette and at the very least start a friendship.

_What a night_, he thought, smiling to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's chapter is next?? Everyone's favorite tomato boy!  
The next few weeks will be pretty dead for me, so hopefully, I can upload more frequently during the holiday season.  
Even if I don't respond to all your comments, I read and love them all!! They really inspire me to write. Thank you all so much!  
Have a miraculous day!!


	6. The Punisher

“Hey! Wait for me!”

A pink-haired child stumbled after her redheaded friend, who stopped running. He turned around, smiling.

“Come _on_ Alix, speed up!”

“I’m not as strong as you, Nathaniel!” she panted, stopping. Nathaniel jogged up to her, stopping in front of her.

“Well then I’ll protect you!” he proclaimed, putting a hand on his chest, “I can be your knight in shining armor!”

“You cheesy dork,” she teased. Nathaniel simply laughed and started running again.

“First one home gets an extra chicken nugget!”

“Hey!” cried Alix, running after him again, “that’s so _ unfair _!”

[ ](https://ibb.co/dWH9MDq)

⁎⁎⁎

Miss Mendeleiv hadn’t shown up to class that day, so their principal had informed Adrien’s class that they had a free day. Without supervision, the room was utter chaos. Alya quietly worked on her new song with Marinette. Nino, Adrien, Ivan, and Max were all loudly playing a new phone game. Juleka and Rose were talking to each other, while Mylene sat quietly next to them. Sabrina was talking very loudly on the phone, with Chloe online shopping next to her.

In the back, Alix was quietly painting on the bottom of Nathaniel’s skateboard. Nathaniel was watching her paint as he skyped his boyfriend, Marc.

Adrien noticed that Sabrina had hung up her phone, and was heading towards the back of the class.

“What a poor excuse for a painting!” Sabrina proclaimed, walking up to their table. _ She must have gotten bored with just sitting there, _ thought Adrien, keeping an ear out. Alix and Nathaniel didn’t even acknowledge Sabrina. She leaned in closer, squinting.

“What is that even supposed to be?” she asked, louder this time. Still, no response. This made Sabrina angry. She went back to her desk and grabbed Chloe’s water bottle, taking off the cap. She returned to the back and poured the water all over the skateboard, making the paint run until the original pattern was unrecognizable. Watery paint spread on the table and into Alix's lap, who quickly stood up.

[ ](https://ibb.co/0sks2M2)

“Hey!” yelled Nathaniel, jumping out of his seat, “What the hell was that for?”

“It was a stupid painting anyways,” responded Sabrina, crossing her arms and turning away. Juleka had come to Alix’s aid with paper towels, trying to contain the mess.

“It’s not a big deal,” shrugged Alix, aware that all eyes were on her, “I can just re-do it.”

“But it _ is _ a big deal!” growled Nathaniel, glaring daggers at Sabrina, “that’s your painting she ruined! And my board!”

“Totally uncool,” said Nino, shaking his head. Nathaniel grabbed his bag and skateboard.

“I’m out of here,” he said, storming out of the classroom. Alix and Juleka followed him.

“Hey, if you want we can tell Principle Bustier about what Sabrina did,” suggested Juleka. Nathaniel whipped around to look at her.

“And do what? Everyone knows she’s a massive pushover, especially when it comes to Sabrina!” he clenched his fists, “there is no justice in this school!”

“You are correct,” cooed a voice in Nathaniel’s head. He was completely unaware that the two girls had seen the black butterfly heading towards them, and ran back to the classroom.

"Guys!" Cried Alix, running into the room, Juleka following close behind, "Nathaniel has been akumatized!"

It was silent for a second, before the room exploded and everyone started shouting at Sabrina.

"What the hell Sabrina?"

"Good job putting us all in danger."

"You're such a bully!"

Everyone was so busy that they hadn’t noticed Marinette and Adrien respectively slipping out of the room. Sabrina just rolled her eyes, ignoring the comments. 

"You're all right," boomed a voice, causing everyone to quiet down, "Sabrina is the worst!"

In the classroom door stood a figure, covered in grey armor. MORE DESCRIPTIONS/ PICTURE

Sabrina jumped up, and pointed a finger at him.

"S-stay back!" She yelled, "I'll have you know my dad is the captain of the police!" The akuma laughed.

"Like it matters to me!" He said, walking forward. Sabrina grabbed Chloe, and used the girl as a shield.

"I am The Punisher!” continued Nathaniel, “I will right what has been wronged!"

"Let's get the hell out of here," whispered Max. The Punisher turned towards him.

“No one leaves until I take my due revenge!” yelled the Punisher. No one dared to move.

“Not so fast!” yelled a voice, and everyone turned to the front of the class. Standing on the teacher’s desk was Beetlebug and Chat Noire, standing back to back. The Punisher growled.

“Beetlebug and Chat Noire! How dare you put your feet on the teacher’s desk!” This statement made the two heroes look down, both slightly blushing.

[ ](https://ibb.co/dr0PR7q)

“W-well that doesn’t matter!” yelled Chat, taking out her baton, “You are not the one to choose what is right or wrong!” she jumped towards him but the Punisher blocked her with his sword, and pushed her back. Beetlebug swung his yoyo and captured the blade of the sword, but the Punisher slipped it out easily.

“Dammit!” muttered Beetlebug. The punisher walked towards Chloe and Sabrina, but Chat Noire jumped in front of them, twirling her baton as a shield.

“Nathaniel, stop!” Yelled Alix, approaching him, “this isn’t the right way to do things!” The punisher looked at her, eyes softening.

“You’re right,” he agreed. He then picked her up over his shoulder, “I must take us away so no one can bother us again!” he hopped on his hoverboard and dashed out the door, and the two heroes were quick to follow him. The Punisher was slightly faster, but Beetlebug and Chat Noire kept him within their view. He eventually disappeared behind a group of buildings, and the two heroes stopped where he disappeared. In front of them was a large courtyard with the Louvre in the middle.

“That must have been where he went,” said Beetlebug, and the two saw a man exit the building waving his arms towards them. This confirmed their suspicions, and they jumped down to join him.

“Mr. Kubdel?” asked Beetlebug. The man, who he knew to be Alix’s father and the director of the museum, nodded.

“Yes,” he said, “I assume you’re here for the akuma?” the heros nodded.

“Do you know where they could have gone?” asked Beetlebug.

“Of course,” said Mr. Kubdel, “and I know a secret path that will lead you right towards them. Come, follow me,” he turned into the Louvre, and the two followed him. He brought them to his office, where he moved a painting to reveal a button. Once he pushed it, a secret passage opened.

“I have secret paths that allow me to access all of the rooms,” said Mr. Kubdel, “it could be catastrophic if the public found out about these, but I have a feeling I can trust you two.” Chat Noire snickered, looking at Beetlebug. He rolled his eyes with a small smile, and the two followed Mr. Kubdel. The paths were dimly lit, and every hallway looked the same. 

“How on earth does he know where he’s going?” asked Beetlebug in a hushed voice.

“I’m not sure,” responded Chat, “this feels like something from a horror movie,” she shivered, “it's cold too.”

“Suit modifications would be interesting,,” mumbled Beetlebug to himself.

“I’m so sad to see Nathaniel akumatized, but I’m not surprised it had to do with my Alix,” said Mr.Kubdel, snapping Chat and Beetlebug out of their conversation.

“What is their relationship, exactly?” asked Beetlebug, “are they in a relationship or something?”

“Heavens no,” said Mr. Kubdel, “my daughter doesn’t do dating, and Nathaniel is homosexual. No, they are not in a traditional relationship, but they are very close.”

“You see, my wife and Nathaniel’s mother were very close friends, so Alix and Nathaniel have known each other since they were in diapers. Unfortunately, my wife passed when Alix was a small child, but Nathaniel was there for her during that trying time. The two grew up to love one another, in a way that transcends a romantic relationship.”

“That’s incredibly sweet,” said Chat.

“Indeed, once you find a relationship like that, it’s something you mustn't let go of,” replied Mr. Kubdel. Beetlebug and Chat looked at each other, with a form of softness on both of their faces.

The three continued walking along in silence.

⁎⁎⁎

After landing in the room, The Punisher gently placed down Alix. He walked to the exit and pressed his hand against the wall, which slammed down a jail wall ensuing that no one would be getting in or out.

“Nathaniel, please, listen to me,” pleaded Alix, “you just need to calm down. I’m okay! Everything will be fine,” he turned to her, looking torn.

“But they hurt you.” he said, walking over to her, “although you don’t say it, I know you’re hurt,” he kneeled before her.

“Nath..” she whispered.

“I will take my due revenge,” he said. Alix looked deep in his eyes, and didn’t see her friend- she saw an empty shell. And it scared her.

PICTURE

“No!” she cried, “that isn’t what I want! Yes, Sabrina hurt me, but I’ll get over it!” Nathaniel stood up and stepped towards her, but she backed up, not letting him get any closer.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” he pleaded, holding up his hands, “I’m not going to hurt you.” 

“But _this_ is hurting me,” Alix retorted, and The Punisher stopped in his tracks. A purple butterfly appeared over his mask, and he brought his hands to his head, shutting his eyes.

"N-no! I'm not questioning my choice!" he said, and Alix assumed he was talking to Monarch. She noticed a wall open up behind him, and Beetlebug and Chat Noire came out from it. Beetlebug held a finger up, telling her to be quiet. The two stealthily surrounding Nathaniel.

Beetlebug took the opportunity to toss his yoyo, tying up The Punisher.

"Wha- hey!"

Chat Noire lunged at him, grabbing his sword.

"Cataclys-"

"No!" cried Alix, "it's not the sword, it's the board!" the two heroes looked down at The Punisher's feet, and noticed he had dropped his hoverboard next to him. Chat threw the sword behind her and dove for it, touching it with her cataclysm. It crumpled, and a black butterfly flew out.

"No more doing for you little akuma," said Beetlebug, and he caught the butterfly in his yoyo. Out it flew a white butterfly.

"Bye bye little butterfly," he said, watching it go away. The wall encompasing them in the room disappeared, and ladybugs circled around The Punisher, leaving a dazed Nathaniel.

"Nath!" said Alix, running towards him and giving him a hug.

"W-what happened?" he asked, hugging her back, "I didn't hurt you, did I?!"

"Not at all," she said, letting go and looking at him. They smiled at each other. Beetlebug looked at Chat.

"Pound it!" they said, fist-bumping.

⁎⁎⁎

Chat Noire sat alone on the edge of the roof, watching the sun go down.

"That was an easy akuma," commented a voice next to her, and she looked up to see Beetlebug. He sat down next to her.

"Yeah," she said, "It seemed that Alix had tried talking sense into him."

"At the very least, it distracted him," responded Beetlebug. The two sat in silence for a little bit, listening to the bustle of the city.

"Do you have someone like that?" asked Chat, longingly looking at the Eiffel Tower, bright with lights, "someone who you love so much it goes beyond a romantic relationship?" Beetlebug thought for a little bit.

_ Did _ he have someone like that? I mean, he had Nino, but they were still new friends. There were his parents, but he wasn't sure they counted. 

"I don't know," said Beetlebug, "I mean, I have friends, but I don't think I feel that way about anyone yet."

"I see," said Chat, "I don't have anyone like that either...the closest would probably be my Kwami."

"Why your kwami?" asked Beetlebug. Yeah, he liked Tikki, but she was like a mother to him.

"Well, my kwami gave me the ability to be free," she said. Beetlebug noticed her tail started flicking, like when a cat was nervous, "he is the only person, or thing, I guess, whom I can truly be myself with. He's there for me when no one else is," Bettlebug looked at her, and saw a sadness in her eyes he hadn't seen before. It made him wonder, who was his partner behind the mask? What was her home life like?

"Well, now you have me," replied Beetlebug, and Chat looked at him suprised.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I think we're more than just partners," he said, leaning back.

[ ](https://ibb.co/6FMgwnB)

"We have a special duty to protect Paris, and that's not something anyone else experiences. We only have each other," he looked at Chat and smiled, a warmth in his eyes, "We may not know who each other is behind the mask, but I don't want that to stop us from becoming friends," a light blush had formed on Chat's face, and she turned away from him smiling.

"You're right," she said, standing up, "Thank you Beetlebug."

Beetlebug stood up next to her, and held out his hand.

"Us against the world?" he asked, and she took his hand.

"Us against the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Life has been hectic  
I know it's not super long as the other ones, so I tried to sprinkle in more art than normal
> 
> Hope you enjoy!  
Tell me if you catch the small easter eggs hehe


End file.
